Quick-growing annuals to solve a temporary problem

For anything to do with the garden and pool
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enid
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Post by enid »

Ah yes morning glory - I use that a lot but always as a climber - got some seeds ready so I'll try some as ground cover - good tip tx
Nightowl
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Post by Nightowl »

I'm also a big fan of Cosmos - white cosmos looks lovely.

Other things that have worked for me to fill gaps and which last a fair while are:

Marvel of Peru - Mirabilis (but it does self seed)
Godetia (can't remember how long it lasts though)
Cleome (spider flower)
Ipmoea Mina Lobata
Verbena bonariensis
Nightowl
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Chianti
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Post by Chianti »

Nightowl

I'm so glad you mentioned Cloeme because I recently bought some seeds, it looks such a pretty flower.

I also use Verbena and know of some of the other plant, but haven't used them. A good selection.

Morning Glory produces the most amazing quantity of seeds so I spread them along the inside of the fence & train them upwards but many of the plants grew outside and covered the ground in the most beautiful display. What amazes me is that they received no water yet still survived.
Chianti

Tecno twit, but I can tie my shoes !
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enid
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Post by enid »

I planted morning glory by the pool - every year they come up again by the million
Broom UA
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Post by Broom UA »

Jim,
A suggestion to go with Chiantis thyme and chives is golden oregano. It's a great ground cover and spreads quite quickly but its colour stands out from a distance.
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wallypott
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Post by wallypott »

Be careful of the fennel, I mistakenly let some go to seed and now it is everywhere - throughtout all the gardens, terraces, in the field, literally everywhere, and while it does grow quickly it is not particularly beautiful - sort of green cow parsely when full size.

I have just regrown lilies from last years and they have grown to full size in just 2 weeks which is rather exciting, and they are of a similar size to lavendar.
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Jimbo
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Post by Jimbo »

Thanks everybody for your suggestions; I knew that you'd have some great ideas. I'll report back later with some results. One suggstion from me is rainbow chard with those beautiful stems and glossy foliage, which we stuff into odd places for a splash of colour. Also nice for eating. Oh - and Senecio Maritima with its lovely silver foliage. It gets battered by the frosts here but usually survives the winter.

Jim
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enid
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Post by enid »

what's rainbow chard in French Jimbo?
Martha
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Post by Martha »

I live very near the Geffrye museum and just went for a look around their lovely herb garden for ideas:

Image

They've got Lovage and Angelica there growing to enormous sizes! The Angelica (nearly 1.5m high already) was very pretty, I thought. I'm going to plant some.
Chalet la Foret, Chamonix
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Jimbo
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Post by Jimbo »

what's rainbow chard in French
I'm not too sure Enid. Chard is 'bette epinard' but here in the local markets, the chard with the white stems and huge leaves is always called 'blette'. The guy with the coloured chard simply refers to it as 'blette de couleur' (unless he's being politically correct!). I'll have a look at the chard seed packets when I'm next in the nursery.

Jim
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